Podcasts about failed critics

This week on Reel Talk, your host Dan Owen speaks to writer and podcaster Ashley Thomas about the latest Stephen King adaptation, Firestarter. Then podcaster Carole Petts talks about Tom Gormican's comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, starring Nicolas Cage as a version of himself and Pedro Pascal as a billionaire super-fan. Host & Editor Dan Owen Guests Ashley Thomas & Carole Petts Executive Producer Tony Black Follow REEL TALK on Twitter at https://twitter.com/reeltalkwmt - Find all of DAN OWEN's social media and website links at https://linktr.ee/danowen - Follow ASHLEY THOMAS on Twitter (https://www.twitter.com/TheNerdyBlogger) & Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TheNerdyBlogger), read Nerdy Blogger (https://www.nerdyblogging.wordpress.com) & Fangirlish (https://fangirlish.com/author/nerdyblogging/), or listen to her on the Sci-Fi 5 Podcast (https://sci-fi-5.libsyn.com) & Dearly Debated Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dearly-debated/id1517213655) - Follow CAROLE PETTS over at the revived Failed Critics podcast (https://pod.link/1611135627) and check out the East Anglia Ghostbusters group she runs via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/eastangliaghostbusters), Twitter (www.Twitter.com/EastAngliaGB), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/GhostbustersEastAnglia) Theme music: 'On the Podium' © Radio Night via Epidemic Sound • ‘Reel Talk' podcast cover art design by Dan Owen.

Welcome to the all new, rebooted FAILED CRITICS podcast on the WE MADE THIS podcast network! This week, your host Steve Norman is joined by his very own Robin in Paul Field, these days chatting music on We Made This with the very successful We Buy Records podcast, who despite now having decamped post-Brexit Britain to the classical climes of Belgrade is here for plenty of main film chat about Matt Reeves' brand new all-consuming comic-book blockbuster THE BATMAN--or as it's known in Serbia, 'The Betmen'. Along the way, in News they chat about the ludicrous Film Twitter wish for Jeremy Renner; in What We've Been Watching, Steve has a close Encounter while Paul dodges a Moonfall. Meanwhile, in Recommendations, Paul takes The Guardian to task for a Netflix show they tore apart while Steve encourages us all to forgive Martin Freeman's Scouse accent and try his new BBC cop show. Plus! The Triple Bill returns, this week covering Best Recast Roles. Steve plays by the rules. Paul doesn't. Are you at all surprised? Join Steve and guests next time to discuss the return of kinkmeister Adrian Lyne as we rub our thighs over his new erotic thriller, DEEP WATER... Host Steve Norman Guest Paul Field Editor / Executive Producer Tony Black Failed Critics on socials Website: failedcritics.com Twitter: @FailedCritics Facebook: FailedCritics Support the We Made This podcast network on Patreon: www.patreon.com/wemadethis We Made This on socials: Website: wemadethisnetwork.com Twitter: @wmadethis Facebook: WeMadeThis Instagram: @wemadethispod Title music: (c) Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.com, remixed by James Yuill of jamesyuill.com Podcast artwork: Dan Owen of www.framerated.co.uk

Welcome to the all new, rebooted FAILED CRITICS podcast on the WE MADE THIS podcast network! Don't panic, Mr Mainwaring, it's as shambolic as ever as Steve Norman, your erstwhile host, is joined by new FC publisher & We Made This network chief, Tony Black, and one of FC's legendary O.G.'s Matt Lambourne, for a brand new/exactly the same Failed Critics episode after 3 or 4 or 5 (who knows?) years away. It's business as usual as the boys talk Oscar 2022 news (including Matt's pure apathy for it), in What We've Been Watching, Steve goes West Philadelphia born & raised to discuss Bel-Air, Matt discusses Reacher done right in the new Amazon show, and Tony waxes lyrical about the new NHS comedy drama This Is Going to Hurt. The main feature this week is Netflix's brand new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which the lads thoroughly disagree on, and Steve hosts a Chainsaw-focused quiz all about. And they finish with Recommendations including the fall of Boeing and a very difficult & powerful conversation in Mass. Join Steve and guests next time to discuss *adopts growly voice* The Batman... Host Steve Norman Guests Tony Black / Matt Lambourne Editor / Executive Producer Tony Black Failed Critics on socials Website: failedcritics.com Twitter: @FailedCritics Facebook: FailedCritics Support the We Made This podcast network on Patreon: www.patreon.com/wemadethis We Made This on socials: Website: wemadethisnetwork.com Twitter: @wmadethis Facebook: WeMadeThis Instagram: @wemadethispod Title music: (c) Kevin MacLeod via incompetech.com, remixed by James Yuill of jamesyuill.com Podcast artwork: Dan Owen of www.framerated.co.uk

A quick announcement from Failed Critics' new publisher and editor Tony Black discussing the return of Failed Critics and where to now find the podcast, plus a sneak peek at our first episode back with Tony, regular host Steve Norman, and guest Matt Lambourne.This feed will remain active as a storehouse for all 290+ episodes of Failed Critics between 2012-2019, but you can find the rebooted era of the show by subscribing at the following link here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/failed-critics-podcast/id1611135627You can also find the podcast on Spotify and all good pod catchers if you type in 'Failed Critics Podcast'.We'll see you there! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes had a day off work and decided to kill time by doing an impromptu podcast on stuff they've seen in 2019. It also means we edge one step closer to the magic episode 300 mark - just nine more to go. But, seeing as the last podcast they released was in June 2018, it's unlikely to be reached any time soon.The pair talk about what they've watched recently, including a chat about bizarre Japanese arthouse film Tetsuo, The Iron Man, and the wave of true crime documentaries lately. In triple bill, they each pick out their favourite new film of 2019, their favourite first-time watch of the year, and the worst film they've seen over the past three months or so.We'll be back.. probably.. at some point.. hopefully. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're back! Sort of. Host Steve Norman is back, at least, for another Star Wars special episode with regulars Paul Field and Dave Valentine booting misery guts Owen Hughes from the podcast. There's quizzing, japes, and of course more Solo: A Star Wars Story chat than you could shake a lightsaber at. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Happy birthday to you guys! Yes, it's your birthday everyone. Or, rather, the Failed Critics Podcast turned six this week, which means happy birthday to us and all of our listeners who witnessed this Frankenstein's monster of a podcast come to life.To celebrate, hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes have put together a hastily arranged episode with a sneaky post-credits Avengers: Infinity War review.Also on the episode, we return to a classic format for the quiz section, before covering The Discovery, Money Monster, Alien 3 and Rampage in WWBW.Thanks to everyone who has ever downloaded, listened, shared, liked, commented on, complained about, subscribed, unsubscribed, or otherwise interacted with the podcast in some form or another throughout our existence. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our first special episode in a while, and this week we are really thinking outside of the box. We've taken the day off of video games, to talk about video game movies. See how imaginative we can be? We've dragged in, for the first time ever, Failed Critics head honcho and Set The Tape boss man Owen Hughes to join returning guest and all round beautiful man Matt Lambourne to chime in with hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker in talking about the latest Tomb Raider iteraiton to hit the silver screen and then retro-nostalgiafest Ready Player One for a little while before ressurection the most sacred of Failed Critics features. That's right. We are doing a video game movie triple-bill. Films we love, films we hate and films we'd love to see make it to the big screen. Join us, in a two-and-a-half hour marathon as we dissect these films far more than any sane group of people should and have a few laughs along the way. Join us again next time, but until then why not join us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.

We're back for a bit. No biggie. Just Steve Norman, Owen Hughes and Paul Field, hanging around recording a random triple bill podcast trying to ride the crest of interest that usually comes during the Oscars season.Resurrected from the near dead, the Failed Critics revive an old quiz - not an old quiz format, literally they replay an old quiz - and chat about what they've been watching lately. Paul revels in riotous horror Freehold, Owen revisits 10 Cloverfield Lane, and Steve rubbishes a bunch of Netflix Originals.In the triple bill section, there's chaos, confusion and regular shambolic behaviour as each critic picks a movie that missed that all important award nod from the Academy throughout history.Don't get too excited; this doesn't actually signal a return to a weekly format for FC. But we're on 288 episodes now. You'll probably see us appear in your feed at 12 other points throughout the year as we push for the magic 300, so don't unsubscribe just yet!If you want more regular podcasting goodness from Owen and Steve (and Tony Black!) then please subscribe, listen and rate to STT: Rewind over at SetTheTape.com/podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Happy New Year and all that jazz. We're back from our end of year celebrations (sort of) as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes head to a pub in Oxford to chat movies and TV with Character Unlock's Andrew Brooker.Recorded over a month ago in the same pub as our last live podcast, the trio run through what they've been watching lately, as well as a triple bill giving insight into what has caught their eye over the past year at the cinema, on Netflix and the goggle box. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Another year down, and another awards ceremony concluded. Hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by a returning Paul Field to produce another quality end-of-year quiz, and to help us round-up the results from the Failed Critics Awards 2017.Our huge thanks go out to everybody who took the time to submit nominations in the various categories. We'll be posting the results as a list later in the week, but for now we hope you have a great New Year!We'll return soon for another special live episode recorded in Oxford earlier this year. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away...Steve, Paul and Crisp Packet Dave returned for their annual Star Wars podcast and took an in-depth look at Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi. (Note: This review contains spoilers, a lot of them.)Elsewhere, there is the traditional quiz where football-loving Steve tries to hide his geek tendencies. And with 5 years of Failed Critics the lads look back at their 5 favourite films of the last 5 years, as well as their least favourite.We hope you all have a great Christmas and happy new year and all that jazz. We'll have the results of our end of year awards in the next episode. Don't forget to vote if you haven't already! Deadline for submissions is midnight on Boxing Day. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hopefully by now you will have caught up with DCEU's latest attempt at salvaging a flailing franchise with Justice League. Hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes run their beady eye over Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon's ensemble superhero flick, as well as chatting about some post-apocalyptic fiction and reviewing their favourite cough sweets. Yum. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

So very, very late this week that it's actually now "next week" but hey, at least it's here, right? Let's cut out the chit chat and get straight to it: Steve Norman hosts (and edits) this week as Owen Hughes and Brian Plank join for a review of the MCU's latest fantasy adventure with Thor: Ragnarok. In the absence of the news section, the trio run through some Netflix stuff, chat about what else they've been watching, and recommend you some stuff to watch during the week that's just been so is now entirely useless. Sorry about that. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by Callum Petch, fresh from this year's London Film Festival.We kick off the podcast with a chat about the ins and outs of the Festival itself as Callum explains what it's like being one of them proper critics that they have in London. He also rounds up five of the best (including Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water, Irish Afghanistan animation The Breadwinner and NOT hip-comedy The Party) and a few of the rest.Of course, you can read back on all of Callum's diary entries from the BFI London Film Festival 2017 right here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast. This one is actually being published within a reasonable amount of time since the recording. Aren't we spoiling you, eh! In it, hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes chat about the new Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer as well as react to the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse news. In What We've Been Watching, Steve reviews survival romance drama The Mountain Between Us, starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, and Owen takes a trip to the cinema for Loving Vincent, the hand-painted animated mystery noir about the life and death of Vincent Van Gogh. However, the main release review this week is Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve's long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott's science fiction classic, starring Ryan Gosling as a replicant caught up in the search for a missing key. Would the film provide to be as divisive amongst our podders as the original was with the cinema audiences upon its release? You'll just have to listen to find out. Join us again next week for a London Film Festival special as we catch up with Callum Petch who has attended the prestigious movie event. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Only a week and a half late this time, it's our Kingsman: The Golden Circle podcast! Entering into the fool's golden circle that is the Failed Critics Podcast this week is Steve Norman, Owen Hughes, Tony Black and Brian Plank. The quiz was cut from the final audio due to being incredibly shit. Sorry. Maybe doing anagrams on the radio is not a great idea. But if you want to play along, you can find the questions that Steve et al struggled through at the bottom of this bumf. Elsewhere on the show: Steve reviewed BBC's dark comedy series Stag which has just been added to Netflix; Tony gets to grips with the new Star Trek Discovery episodes as well as sports drama Borg McEnroe; Brian watches the "very strange" Mr Biffo's Found Footage; and Owen is back on Shudder once again to watch the remastered 70's cult classic Phantasm. We'll be back next week (hopefully) with another podcast of some description. Probably about Blade Runner. QUIZ: Spot the odd one out. If you spot it, you get a point. If you know why it's the odd one out, you get 2 points. They are all name anagrams. QUESTION 1: a) Naked Borrower; b) Lank Rap Bin; c) Nobly Tack. QUESTION 2: a) Wet Math Van Hug; b) Guy Itchier; c) In Vec Hav Gun. QUESTION 3: a) Preteen Sir; b) Dry Voices; c) Panache moment. QUESTION 4: a) Asia Flub Hoe; b) Invader Gross Run; c) Men Am Thin. QUESTION 5: a) Tarhut C Rackle; b) Liphip K Kid-c; c) Ego Reg W Hubs. Q1 Answer = A - Andrew Brooker, he's the odd one out because b) Brian Plank and c) Tony Black were both meant to be on this episode, and Brooker wasn't, despite Steve emailing him the agenda before we recorded. Q2 Answer = B - Guy Ritchie, both Matthew Vaughn and Vince Vaughn have the same surname. Q3 Answer = C - Phantom Menace is a Star Wars film, whereas a) (Enterprise) and b) (Discovery) are Star Trek series. Q4 Answer = C - Tim Henman is a real tennis player, where as b) is Sverrir Gudnason, and a) is Shia LaBeouf, both of whom star in Borg McEnroe. Q5 Answer = C - George W Bush, he's a former president, whereas a) Arthur C Clarke and b) Philip K Dick are sci-fi writers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to the absolute best podcast we've ever recorded.... ooooh chinny reckon. Chinny. Reck. Kon. Oooh Jimmy Hill chinny reckon. Chinnnnny. Ok, ok. No, it's probably not the best podcast we've ever recorded, but it was still a lot of fun as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes chat Korean revenge thrills in The Villainess with Paul Field, as well as trying to work out whether Darren Aronofsky's mother! was pretentious tosh, or if that is even a bad thing at all. The pod kicks off with one of Paul's famed Amazon Review quizzes before the trio run through a few notable winners from last weekend's Emmy awards. Steve finally watches Dangerous Game, the so-called "worst football film ever made" according to The Independent, whilst Owen struggles through a review of indie drama The Song of Sway Lake due to losing all his notes minutes before recording; and Paul discovers Australian horror Killing Ground. We'll be back again next week to review Kingsman: The Golden Circle. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Just a short podcast for you all this week as Owen Hughes and Andrew Brooker float the idea of a very short It Spoiler Alert review special rather than take a week off. This is your second and final warning: do NOT listen to this episode unless you have seen the weekend's release of Stephen King's killer clown movie. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Leaping out of a moving aircraft with a Union Jack adorning their parachutes, before safely landing in the driver's seat of their sub-aquatic Aston Martin, it's your podcast hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes. Spinning around on his high-backed leather chair with a pussy in his lap, it's our special guest Paul Field, joining Owen and Steve for a special spy triple bill episode! Oh, drat! I wasn't supposed to tell you that. The cat is out of the bag, so I might as well reveal what else occurred on this week's show. Paul was back on quiz hosting duty for a rather smutty game of Bond or Bonk, before reviewing Danish comedy film Dan-Dream, from the makers of the popular Klown series. After revisiting Return of the Living Dead 3 recently, Owen sought out Brian Yuzna's body-horror social commentary directorial debut from 1989, Society, whilst Steve took a trip to the cinema to see what Steven Soderbergh's non-retirement looked like with Logan Lucky. We'll be back next week with a review of Stephen King's It. In the meantime, why not check out Paul's Underground Nights co-host's latest stand-up special which has been made available to stream for free via Amazon Prime Instant: http://amzn.to/2eOYzpC This podcast will self destruct in 1hr 3mins and 8secs. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Spooktacular! Fangtastic! Unbelieva...ghoul...? Yes, it's our Horror Channel FrightFest 2017 special episode of the Failed Critics Podcast. Hosts Steve Norman-Bates and VoodoOwen Hughes drag Andrew 'PVCface' Brooker and Mike ShawcrossedTheWrongGuy straight from FrightFest and onto Skype for a podcast devoted entirely to the UK's largest genre film festival. Amongst the general chit-chat about the five-day event over the bank holiday weekend, we chat about over 15 different films, including: Leatherface; Cult of Chucky; 68 Kill; Better Watch Out; Tragedy Girls; The Bar; Mayhem; Double Date; Psychopaths; Freehold; Fanged Up; Jackals;  Bloodshed; Mob; and not forgetting the Adam Wingard's Netflix Original Death Note. We'll be back next week with a spy thrillers triple bill. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes do not podcast with their microphones; he who podcasts with his microphone has forgotten the face of his father. They podcast with their friends, Maaya Brooker and Liam, as the each pick their three favourite Stephen King movies for this week's triple bill episode, in addition to a review of the sci-fi / horror / fantasy author's latest big screen adaptation, The Dark Tower. Also on the podcast, Steve is back in the host's chair for the quiz pitting Owen's King knowledge against Maaya and Liam's, before the group chat about the news that vampire horror Nosferatu is getting a remake from Robert Eggers (The Witch). In What We've Been Watching, Steve speaks highly of new Netflix Original What Happened to Monday?, Liam plucks out period drama Lady Macbeth from Curzon's vast array of quietly quality features, and Maaya ignores all advice to take a trip to the cinema to see The Hitman's Bodyguard. We'll be back again next week for a round-up of FrightFest from horror aficionados Andrew Brooker and Mike Shawcross. Why not check out Brooker's preview piece on the horror film festival whilst you wait... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to the latest episode of the Failed Critics Podcast where your hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes were joined by Brian Plank to review David Leitch's newest action thriller, Atomic Blonde. The episode was recorded a day late and about half an hour short after Steve decided to copy the film's star, Charlize Theron, and drink his own bath water. And we all know what Steve fills his baths with.  Needless to say, he was violently ill. Also on the podcast this week, Owen heads to the cinema with fingers crossed for the fourth film in The Conjuring Universe as Lights Out director David Sandberg helms Annabelle: Creation. Elsewhere, Brian revisits 90's cult comedy Tank Girl, and Steve basks in peak Bay with a Bad Boys rewatch. We'll be back next week with a Stephen King triple bill in honour of The Dark Tower's release. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After a week-long hiatus, Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are back with a new episode and a slightly less conventional format than usual. With the premiere of Sharknado 5: Global Swarming airing on the SyFy Channel at the same time as the pair sat down to record, we cover the usual movie chat whilst dipping in and out of the Asylum's unfathomably popular franchise. In between all of the moaning about terrible acting, dialogue and inane celebrity cameos, Steve and Owen chat about Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon's Rick and Morty over on Netflix, and HBO's penultimate season of the critically acclaimed fantasy epic, Game of Thrones. We even turn our heads away from the car-crash of a TV film for long enough to discuss Luc Besson's $200m space opera Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, more incomprehensible disaster action in Arctic Blast, and the surprisingly entertaining cannibal b-movie, Blood Diner. We'll be back to our usual schedule next week for with a review of Atomic Blonde. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's Valentine's Day! OK, it was Valentine's day when we recorded… What better way to spend your time than with the consoles that you love so much and the games that make you feel good about yourself? How about spending a couple of hours talking about those things with your mates? Welcome to this week's Character Unlock podcast. Fresh off the back of the last jam packed episode, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker spend a bit of time digging into the news from the last week or so. From Call of Duty going back to its roots and what that might mean for the series, to the insanity that is selling public access tickets for E3; the lads kill a bit of time wondering about the point of it all before heading to a marathon session talking about the games they've been playing. As John continues his mission to finish the Mass Effect series for the 132nd time in preparation for the new game, Brooker has to justify spending a small fortune on a PlayStation VR completely on a whim by playing almost everything made for the thing in a very short space of time. What was worth playing? What made him so sick that it completely ruined his day? All that and more as a featureless episode ends with the guys talking nonsense for more than may be healthy as the bitter pair let everything off their chest. Come back and join us for more of the same in the next episode in a couple of weeks. If you want more from us in the mean time, come find us on Twitter, on Facebook, and guesting on the recent Resident Evil based Failed Critics film podcast.

And so, as the first month of 2017 comes to a close, the first big video game of the year to make waves has finally arrived. But unlike Resident Evil VII's intrepid hero, Character Unlock is bringing back-up. Poached him from his regular seats on both Failed Critics and the Retro Gaming Discussion Show, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker enlist the help of Matt Lambourne in their exploration of the Baker Family House. The gaming trio also wade through the swampy undergrowth of the last week's gaming news. There's plenty to talk about: Between theorising the possible ups and downs of a Marvel/Square Enix collaboration, there's a brief chat on the soon-to-be-released Prey remake, and a trip down memory lane reminiscing on old Namco games in honour of the company's recently departed founder. Brooker finds himself in Hell as John talks more on his Mass Effect series playthrough and Matt discusses the pitfalls of being a FIFA Ultimate Team player to the detriment of all other games. In this week's main feature the team discuss their history with the world renowned Resident Evil series. From its humble beginnings, through its bloated action phase, and finally on to the newest first-person frightener: is it a return to form for the series? Has Resident Evil lost its way entirely? Is it possible to finish the game without staining your trousers? We answer all the burning questions (and a few more) in episode 11 of Character Unlock.

So begins 2017, the year that will almost certainly end with our hosts ruining the podcast completely because they refuse to stop talking about their big games once they come out. Wondering how much time the lads can actually spend talking about Mass Effect and Horizon: Zero Dawn? Stick with us this year and find out. But back to the present; with the Failed Critics guys having a well deserved week off (have you heard their stuff from the back end of the year? We're surprised Owen is still standing) we have decided to fill in the film flavoured hole that they've left this week. What better way to do that with rolling in an Assassin's Creed special that ends with us chatting about (and spoiling) the latest video-game adaptation? Fresh from their New Years Eve hangovers, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker return to dissect the decade old stealth series and have invited Failed Critics regular and Assassin's Creed super fan Brian Plank into our dark and dingy gaming basement to help us talk about the franchise that has moulded Ubisoft's gaming model for nearly ten years. Come spend some time with us as the boys enlighten you about their history with the Creed. What's John's favourite game in the series? Who is Brooker's top Assassin? Is Brian a secret (American) psychopath? All this and more in our epic special. Join us in a fortnight when we will… well, we don't know. Join us in two weeks when there will be a podcast. About something. Shambolic as ever. In the mean time, come find us on Twitter or Facebook (both @CharacterUnlock) and join in the conversation.

Hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker have stolen the keys to some of the shiniest and fastest cars you can ever imagine getting your hands on and they plan to tear around the streets for an hour or so. Celebrating the beginning of Silly Season 2016 by completely avoiding new releases for a couple of weeks, the boys delve into this year's FIFA iteration and the disappointing sequel Homefront: The Revolution, before digging into futuristic follow-on Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and wondering what's next for the fan-favourite franchise. They pick apart newly released PlayStation VR and the games that were (and weren't) allowed out for review before the hardware came out, all whilst waxing lyrical about why that might be. The pair also kick the tyres on Forza Horizon 3, the latest in the free-roam racing series. Finally, stealing more of the Failed Critics patter, Brooker and John list out a triple bill on ‘racing in games', picking their three favourites and checking them against listeners' suggestions. Join us again in a couple of weeks when the lads talk all things horror games – or maybe come join the conversation on Twitterand Facebook.

Welcome to another episode of Character Unlock, the video game-centric (but equally shambolic) Failed Critics sister podcast. In our 17th episode, usual host Andrew Brooker has stepped aside to let his partner in crime John Miller take the reigns, guiding us through the news from the past couple of weeks and keeping things on track as the guys share their last couple of weeks of gaming.   World War II is the focus of a big portion of this week's news as the pair dig into the worldwide reveal of the latest Call of Duty instalment: WWII. Going back to its roots, as we discussed back in January, Activision's yearly franchise has gotten someone all excited with its promise of things to come, while somehow really managing to get on the guys' nerves with their incessant buzzwords and marketing nonsense. Elsewhere, there's the welcome addition of Xbox digital refunds, exciting looking indie games, and playing Battlefield 1 DLC for free. A mixed bag fills the last fortnight of gaming. From playing co-op games on their own and suffering for it, to spending a more than healthy amount of time playing iPhone games; all via a couple of episodic Telltale games, Character Unlock certainly have been keeping themselves busy recently. Join us again in a couple of weeks for more nonsense, from us to you.In the meantime, find us on a Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and let us know what you think of our latest episode.

Is it their finest hour and 17 minutes? With a stonking quiz hosted by guest Callum Petch, pitting hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes against each other, plus reviews of Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled, 2016 mystery thriller Pet, and the extraordinarily awful documentary Extraordinary: The Stan Romanek Story, it might well possibly be! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

NOOOOOOOOOOO-- I mean, yes, it's the latest episode of the Failed Critics podcast with Callum 'bright eyes' Petch and Dr Andrew Brookerzaius joining hosts Steve 'chimpan A' Norman and Owen 'chimpan Z' Hughes as they get their stinkin' paws on The Dawn of the War Beneath the Battle for the Planet of the Living Dead Apes, or whatever it's called. Elsewhere on a particularly shambolic episode, we mull over the casting of a woman (aka Jodie Whittaker) as The Doctor for the upcoming series of BBC sci-fi fantasy series Doctor Who, as well as the passing of legendary filmmaker, George A Romero. There's also a quiz to open the show, with Steve and Owen neck-and-neck at 2-2 in the table. Winner of the quiz takes it all this week and forces the other to watch a film of their choosing. In What We've Been Watching: Owen continues the zombie theme by watching gory Korean thriller Train to Busan; Callum catches up on some Ben Wheatley with folk/hitman horror Kill List; and Brooker finally gets hold of a copy of The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Join us again next week for a review of Christopher Nolan's war drama, Dunkirk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Another episode of the Failed Critics Podcast where hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are left on their lonesome to review the week's major new release. With no news to discuss nor quizzes to, er, quiz, it makes space for both a spoiler-free and a post-credits Spoiler Alert, all about Spider-Man: Homecoming. In What We've Been Watching, Owen suggests adding upcoming found-footage horror Phoenix Forgotten to your watchlist and delves into a discussion with Steve about the genre as a whole. Meanwhile, Steve tries to understand why The Girl With All The Gifts was quite as lauded as it was. We'll be back again next week with a review of War for the Planet of the Apes! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Get a round in, pull up a pew and try the fish - we recommend the ultimate haddocks. Yes, that's right, Tony Black, Owen Hughes and Andrew Brooker are back together again for another Failed Critics Unplugged, recorded live at The Mitre in Oxford last weekend. Unfortunately Steve Norman couldn't make it but he was still with us in spirit as Tony, Owen and Brooker take on Steve's suggested triple bill of films where the band gets back together, in honour of the trio rejoining after February's podcast recorded in the Old Contemptibles pub in Birmingham. Due to this episode being recorded over a week ago, there's no actual news section on this show but What We've Been Watching remains. Brooker revisits 90's classic The Usual Suspects, Tony checks out historical mystery drama The Childhood of a Leader, and Owen reviews brand new sci-fi fantasy adventure Origin Wars (aka Science Fiction Volume One: The Osiris Child). We'll be back to our usual format next week for Spider-Man: Homecoming. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dare! Dare to believe you can survive [another Michael Bay Transformers movie]. You hold the future in your hand. Dare. Dare to keep all of your dreams alive [of never having to sit through another one]. It's time to take a stand. And you can win, if you dare [to stay home when the Bumblebee solo film comes out]. Yes, listeners, it's fair to say that the reaction from Steve Norman, Owen Hughes and Callum Petch to Transformers 5 / Transformers: The Last Knight / Trans5mers was less than positive. Perhaps it was the lack of Vince DiCola and Stan Bush that sours those films so..?  Not even listening to the all-time greatest movie soundtrack ever no backsies can change our opinion. I say it's the greatest movie soundtrack ever, but Edgar Wright's Baby Driver, which is also reviewed on this episode, may have something to say on that matter! In What We've Been Watching, we also cover another new release, The Book of Henry, as well as The Skeleton Twins, 80's exploitation Contamination, and last year's War Dogs.... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Despite reports of different creative visions for this episode of the Failed Critics Podcast, hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes haven't left the project, but have brought on board Underground Nights co-host Paul Field to delve into some film news and reviews. The pod kicks off with Owen still in the big comfy leather armchair, pitting Steve and Paul against each other in a quiz themed around our main review this week; Jason Flemyng's directorial debut, the British horror-comedy, Eat Local. We follow the quiz with a brief round-up of a couple of recent news headlines, including the retirement of Daniel Day-Lewis, and "different creative visions" for the Han Solo solo movie which has seen Phil Lord and Chris Miller given the ol' heave-ho. Our main feature this week sees each of the panel picking their three dream jobs from within the fictional world of any film, in honour of Baby Driver, which will be reviewed next week. Did any of our team choose getaway driver as their dream job in movies? You'll have to... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This isn't a tomb, it's an audio prison. It takes a couple of monsters in hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes to create a podcast episode (and nobody else) reviewing Universal's first foray into their new Dark Universe, The Mummy. It's just the two of them and they can make it if they try. To make up for the lack of guests, they take it upon themselves to review two movies each in What We've Been Watching this week. Steve chats about Irish comedy The Young Offenders and dystopian drama The White King, whilst Owen pleads with people not to be put off by the title of Netflix Original I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore, and ponders why on Earth we're getting a Blade Runner sequel when the first was so damn good. The pair also turn their attention to the recently departed Adam West - but you should probably read this article by James Diamond to see why he is rightfully revered as a legend. Join us again next week as one-part of Field & Mullinger's Underground Nights (that'd be Paul Field) will return to... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We've got what you want, what you need AND what you deserve on this week's Failed Critics triple bill special episode with not one, not two, but a whole bunch of Wonder Women - and we're not just referring to Maaya Brooker! Maaya joins hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes for a Wonder Woman inspired triple bill as they each pick three films directed and/or written by women, leading to quite an eclectic mix of movies up for discussion in our main feature. But before that, the team also review the latest entry into the DC Extended Universe released this past weekend, directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot as the Amazonian warrior princess, Diana. We also have a newly formatted quiz to open proceedings before a brief mention of Peter Sallis and his part in Wallace and Gromit, following his death at the age of 96 earlier this week. We'll be back again next week for a review of The Mummy - but in the meantime, keep an eye out for our sister gaming podcast, Character Unlock (@CharacterUnlock on... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cue the sax, it's the Failed Critics Podcast: Latenight Softcore Edition, where host Steve Norman finally gets his wish to make Owen Hughes review Emmanuelle In Space, possibly the boobiest of all our quiz booby-prizes thus far. If you giggle when you hear naughty words, you're going to, well, giggle, when you hear our quiz. The new releases this week see the team joined by Maaya Brooker (making her podcast debut) to chat about the amount of bounce in a slow-motion run along the beach in Baywatch, and mull over Disney's latest blockbuster, Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge / Dead Men Tell No Tales / the Fifth one / delete as applicable. Elsewhere on show, we mourn the death of British acting legend Roger Moore; and review Netflix's latest Original Movie, the satirical combat movie War Machine, the Stephen King adaptation Misery, as well as creepy Verhoeven sci-fi thriller, Hollow Man. We'll be back next week for a Wonder Woman special. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Awight you pwopa nawty boys, oi oi! Brian Plank joins Steve Norman and Owen Hughes for a top, top podcast this week. We've got a review of Guy Ritchie's new movie, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. It's sick, bruv. Banterific. As well as the Kaiju drama(?) comedy(?) action(?) indie(?) flick, Colossal, starring Anne Hathaway. Following a news section which covers the casting of Tom Hardy as Venom, leading to more head-scratching about who owns what in the MCU, Steve continues the superhero theme with a double bill of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. Elsewhere, Brian watches gritty crime thriller Sicario, and Owen finally gets to cast a beady eye on Mindhorn. Join us again next week for a review of the new Pirates of the Caribbean film. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by regular Failed Critic Andrew Brooker as they delve in to Ridley Scott's latest instalment in the Alien franchise, Alien: Covenant, complete with Spoiler Alert as well as a spoiler free review. In the news we pay tribute to the late Powers Boothe and in What We've Been Watching Steve goes gangster with Guy Ritchie's Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Brooker watches some "balls out torture porn" with Fright Fest favourite Jessica Cameron's gruesome Truth or Dare, and Owen reveals all when he goes Commando. Join us again next week for some propa nawty Camelot shenanigans, squire. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ee arr, our kid. Yow wo' believe it, but we've only gon' an' published anuva bostin' episode! Ark at four half-soaked wallies blaberen about films an' that in a Failed Critics Dudleycast. Only kidding. The main feature of this week's podcast is a triple bill on British comedy films post-1980s in honour of Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby's newest hilarious collaboration, Mindhorn. Tony Black, the mastermind behind the popular X-Files podcast, The X-Cast, joins hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes to discuss the Isle of Man-caper Mindhorn, whilst Underground Nights co-host Paul Field is back on the fetishist documentaries, specifically On Tender Hooks - who knew the suspension capital of the world would be Birmingham? Elsewhere on the show, Owen dismays everybody by not-disliking last week's quiz booby-prize, The Most Hated Woman In America, before chatting about noir classic The Night of the Hunter; and Steve invents (and finishes) a brand new Denzel Washington game after watching Déjà Vu. Join us again... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Where does a pirate keep his buccaneers? Apparently on the bucking Failed Critics Podcast this week, as Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by both Andrew Brooker and Brian Plank for some jolly rogering - and to talk about Marvel's latest space adventure movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2! We've got a full spoiler-free review of James Gunn's second feature in the MCU, starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Kurt Russell and many more besides. As if that wasn't enough, we even dredged up our own stinger with a post-credits Spoiler Alert section where we'll plunder all the booty that we can from this madcap adventure through the galaxy. The quiz kicks things off and reaches a disappointing climax before Brooker turns his attentions to the swashbuckling Pirates of the Caribbean franchise for What We've Been Watching, swiftly followed by Brian's review of the nautical TV show Black Sails. Elsewhere, Owen turns his attentions to the classic Western, Shane; and Steve is enraptured by Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to another episode of Character Unlock, the video game-centric (but equally shambolic) Failed Critics sister podcast. In our 17th episode, usual host Andrew Brooker has stepped aside to let his partner in crime John Miller take the reigns, guiding us through the news from the past couple of weeks and keeping things on track as the guys share their last couple of weeks of gaming. World War II is the focus of a big portion of this week’s news as the pair dig into the worldwide reveal of the latest Call of Duty instalment: WWII. Going back to its roots, as we discussed back in January, Activision’s yearly franchise has gotten someone all excited with its promise of things to come, while somehow really managing to get on the guys’ nerves with their incessant buzzwords and marketing nonsense. Elsewhere, there's the welcome addition of Xbox digital refunds, exciting looking indie games, and playing Battlefield 1 DLC for free. A mixed bag fills the last fortnight of gaming. From playing co-op games on... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Look at me, listeners! I love you! It's all for you, Damian--- I mean, whatever your name might be! Happy birthday to us. Yes, backs are slapped and circled are jerks as we celebrate reaching the fifth year of the Failed Critics Podcast. Hip, hip... Beginning life as a one-man blog back in 2011, before spanning into an entertainment movie podcast on 25 April the following year, we've somehow survived over 260 episodes, three spin-off podcasts and a number of different movies that was too large for me to even attempt contemplating calculating. Five years old. Crikey. The ever-present Steve Norman hosts a special birthday-themed triple bill episode, with Owen Hughes and Andrew Brooker on board to share their three favourite movie scenes featuring birthday parties. It was a tougher task than initially thought. Elsewhere on the podcast, there's the usual news round-up, this week featuring a chat about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's announcement before James Gunn's second movie in the MCU has even been... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to the Failed Critics Podcast as we review The Fate of the Furious, the eighth entry in the Fast & Furious series. It's an emotional rollercoaster this week. Tears have been shed about the noticeably absent (and some would even say crucial) member of the team, whose mere presence is what has made the previous entries so entertaining, so absorbing, and so full of heart and character. Alas, even without Owen around, Steve Norman, Callum Petch and James Diamond soldier on regardless. The 259th episode of the Failed Critics Podcast begins with a brief summary of another movie franchise to reach its eighth canon entry with the brand new Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer. Somewhat coincidentally, combined with the DVD release of the stand-alone Rogue One, What We've Been Watching sees Steve round up every movie in Disney's lucrative space adventure series so far having watched all of them back-to-back on Good Friday - as anybody who followed @FailedCritics or #FCStarWars on Twitter will already know.... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

All hope abandon, ye who download this podcast as Steve, Owen, Brooker and Liam invite you into one of their seven circles of Hell for a special religious movies themed triple bill, just in time for Easter. Alas, the sound quality takes a bit of a battering, as if the Devil himself mocked us by blowing down "the bugle of his ass-hole" in the background of the entire recording. Nevertheless, the four atheists persevered and each discuss three religious-themed movies of their choice. It was either that, or have them present their three favourite movies about eggs, rabbits and Jesus. A topic that's a bit niche, even for us. Also this week, we cover what else we've been watching over the past seven days, including: An overlooked contender for the best foreign language Oscar this year, Land of Mine; Finnish POTUS action thriller, Big Game, starring Samuel L Jackson; indie horror The Void and art-house thrills with Raw; and new-to-DVD, farting-corpse comedy, Swiss Army Man. We even bring Brian Plank onboard for... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are we a podcast that exists inside your iPhone? Or is this an iPhone with the ghost of the latest Failed Critics Podcast inside of it? Hmm. Someone should make a movie out of that premise. Until then, don't worry about it. Just hit play and listen to four gits, Steve Norman, Owen Hughes, Callum Petch and Matt Lambourne, as they guide you through a sort-of anime special in honour of our main release review, Ghost in the Shell. As well as the brand new movie starring Scarlett Johansson, we also take a look back at the original anime feature to see how they compare and contrast. (Spoiler: not favourably.) Not only that, but Owen suffered the ignominy of watching and reviewing Boy Next Door, the Jennifer Lopez vehicle, after losing last week's quiz - and this week's anime themed quiz is perhaps even more controversial than ever. What We've Been Watching is also entirely anime based and sees the Failed Critics review pirate-mercenary series Black Lagoon, psychological thriller Perfect Blue, and the futuristic... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's morphin' time for your podcast hosts with attitude on this week's Failed Critics Podcast! Leading the pack is Steve Norman, with the power of Tyrannosaurus! Next is Andrew Brooker, with the power of the Mastodon! And finally it's Owen Hughes, with the power of the crappy flying one that no kid really ever wanted to play with! Yes, one of this week's main review features is the brand new Power Rangers movie. The team also get a Life as they chat about the latest sci-fi/horror aping picture to hit the big screen. Having seen (and, luckily for us, reviewing) the first three Alien movies straight afterwards which outshine the newcomer, opinion is split on whether or not Life is worth the bother. Elsewhere on the episode, Steve and Owen almost come to blows (again) about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (again), following a discussion around The Passion of the Christ that rather fittingly was almost as biblical in length. We still cram in one last review for pregnancy-horror Antibirth, out on VOD right now!... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Listen. Focus on the rain. Can you hear it? Find the rain. Now, once you've found it... sink into the pod! Yes, this week's main review on the Failed Critics Podcast is the chilling black comedy/horror/psychological thriller, Get Out. Let Steve Norman, Owen Hughes and Tony Black lull you into a false sense of security and then fill your head with nonsense for the following 60 minutes. Things temporarily go all weird on the latest episode as the team try to have a somewhat sensible conversation about the representation of black characters in mainstream media following Thandie Newton's recent comments. However, the regular What We've Been Watching section soon brings a sense of normality to proceedings as reviews of Simon Amstell's mockumentary, Carnage, friend of the podcast Jonathan Sothcott's We Still Kill The Old Way, our fifth best film of last year Green Room, and rebooted comedy Ghostbusters all feature. Join us again next week for a mighty morphin' good time. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a rather late edition of the Failed Critics Podcast this week as hosts Steve Norman and Owen Hughes are joined by Underground Nights co-host Paul Field. The ice cream's are on Steve. There's a hastily arranged quiz (circa 2009) to kick things off before a brief chat about remakes, reboots, reimaginings and re-adaptations following the news that The Matrix is the latest Hollywood property set for the prequel/sequel/revisit/remaster/whatever treatment. But it's our new releases this week that have got the crew all hot and bothered as Owen and Paul fall under the spell of Anna Biller's The Love Witch. Certainly more so than period drama Viceroy's House turned Steve on, in any case. There's also space on the pod for a quick trip to Kong: Skull Island. Paul reckons he's found the future of geezer movies with Simon Phillips' sci-fi feature The Last Scout, which Paul adoring dubs "Hooligans In Space". We've also gone all cultured an' that, with Steve's trip to the West End to see Dreamgirls. Yep.... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.